Hair-retaining comb



y 1950 J. GOODMAN 2,506,297

3 HAIR-RETAINING COMB Filed June 21, 1947 gay. 6:

INVENTOR. (/4606 6000/m4/v BY m ATE/AW fiTTO/G/VEV Patented May 2, 1950HAIR-RETAINYNGT Lia/cob Goodman, New Yorke N; K'assig'noritu; DelamereCompany, Inc;,.. Jersey: Gitm. 1%,. a corporation of. Delaware;

Application June 21, 1947;j$eria11-No. 756143 (chase-4a) 2 Gliimss 1..

, Thisinvention relates to'a haii -retainihgcomb o!"- barrette of the Itype I having spring teeth in: tended to be worn bywomen and childrento'hold their hairneatly and securely.

Combs of this general tvpe'arewnow made with an elongated back and aplurality of teeth extend ing from the back, thet'eeth having elongatedopenings to provide relatively thin resilient side portions thatnormally-are in substantialcontact with the like side portions ofadjacent teeth and that grip the hair when the comb is inserted.

It has, however, been found that the spring action of the teeth of combsof such construction does not provide sufiicient tension to assure thatthe comb will remain in the hair, with the result that they frequentlyslip out of place or drop out of the hair and become lost.

Having in mind the defects of the prior art hair-retaining combs, it isan object of my invention to provide a comb of that type having springteeth that will grip the hair so tightly as to maintain the comb firmlyin place without likelihood of loss or displacement.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a comb of that type whichis easy to manipulate and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

According to my invention the comb is formed with two backs that areslidable lengthwise one with respect to the other, and a plurality ofspring teeth each having two legs with one leg extending from one of thebacks and the other leg extending from the second back to grip the hairand permit relative movement of the backs.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure l is a plan view of a blank from which the comb, in its preferredform, may be made;

Fig. 2 is a view in elevation of the comb showing the spring teeth inexpanded, or hair gripping, condition;

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the teeth in contracted r hairreleasing, condition;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the comb, partly in section;

Fig. 5 is a schematic view in elevation of a modified form of theinvention; and,

Fig. 6 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale,

2. connected together: at reg ti'veiy-thin and riarrow-stripsthat fonntcrthenmshe-dcomb. Each stri has tw sitely curved portions I2 and" I3;and a: tiv'ely straightintermediateportion I42 The-top edge It: and oneend edge I 6' oithetcp-pbrtioner back-member til are bent upward, andthe apps: site ens edge It" of-jthe lower portionsateen back member Hisalso bentupwars. m'ii'lfil ber Ill has a circular opening or eyelet I8,and the member II has a correspondingly positioned slot I9.

In making the comb, the blank is doubled over at the middle to form theteeth and to bring the two backs into superposition. The backs areslidably connected together by a rivet or eye 20 passing through thehole I8 and slot I9, and the end I! of the back member I I is bentaround the back member Ill, as shown in Fig. 4.

A modification of the invention is illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 whereinthe back members Ill and I I are formed as separate parts, and the teethare made of spring hairpin wire or the like. In this instance the teethare bent to form two oppositely curved leg portions 22 and 23 thatterminate in a relatively straight portion 24 having a rounded lower endor point. The upper ends of the tooth-legs 22 and 23 are welded, as at2I, or otherwise suitably secured to the back members I0 and I I,respectively.

The spring action of the teeth urges the backs I0 and II into theirnormally distended position shown in Fig. 2, in which position thecurved or bulging portions of adjacent tooth-legs contact, orsubstantially contact, each other to afiord a tight grip on the hair andto lock the comb firmly in place. On inserting the comb in the hair, thespring legs of the teeth will automatically yield to permit passage ofhair between their normally contacting portions. To remove the comb itis merely necessary to grasp its ends between the thumb and forefingerand to press the two backs relatively toward each other a short distanceso as to release the spring grip of the teeth on the hair and to open agap between adjacent teeth, as shown in Fig. 3, whereupon the comb canbe easily and freely withdrawn without mussing or disarranging thehair-dress. Only a slight pressure on the ends of the backs is requiredto overcome the tendency of the spring teeth to hold the backs in theirnormal distended condition.

As is usual in combs or barrettes of this type, the backs are preferablyarcuate in shape lengthwise so as to conform generally to the contour ofthe head.

r antervmsbgrerm While I have described and illustrated my inventionwith respect to specific forms thereof, it is to be understood thatvarious changes and modiflcations may be made therein within the scopeof the claims.

What I claim is:

1. A hair-retaining comb comprising two superposed backs securedtogether to slide lengthwise relatively to'each other, and a single setof spring teeth extending from and common to said backs, each toothbeing resilient and having two legs formed with oppositely bulging upperportions terminating in lower portions that are united at their lowerend, the upper end of each of one of said legs being connected to One ofsaid backs and the upper end of each of the other said legs beingconnected to the second back, the bulging portions of adjacent teethnormally being substantially in contact with each other, said teethproviding a spring action that normally holds the backs inlongitudinally distended condition and being adapted to open gapsbetween the contacting portions of the teeth on pressing the backsendwise relatively toward each other.

- 2. A hair-retaining comb comprising two backs secured togetherslidably face to face for relative longitudinal movement, and a set ofteeth extending from said backs, each tooth having two spring legsformed with bulging side portions and having a common point below thebulging portions, the upper end of one leg of each tooth being fixed toone back and the upper end of the other leg of each tooth being fixed tothe second back.

.the bulging portions of adjacent teeth being normally in contact withone another to afiect a spring action that normally maintains the twobacks in distended condition but permits of mobility of said backs toform gaps between the teeth on pressing the backs endwise relativelytowards each other.

JACOB GOODMAN.

- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS France May 22, 1936

